connotation

noun con·no·ta·tion \ ˌkä-nə-ˈtā-shən \

|Updated on: 16 Jul 2018

Examples: connotation in a Sentence

Editor's Note: What’s the difference between connotation and denotation ?

Definition of connotation

1 a : something suggested by a word or thing : implication

the connotations of comfort that surrounded that old chair

b : the suggesting of a meaning by a word apart from the thing it explicitly names or describes

2 : the signification of something

… that abuse of logic which consists in moving counters about as if they were known entities with a fixed connotation.
—William Ralph Inge

3 : an essential property or group of properties of a thing named by a term in logic — compare denotation

—

connotational

play \ˌkä-nə-ˈtā-shnəl, -shə-nᵊl\ adjective

See connotation defined for English-language learners

See connotation defined for kids

Examples of connotation in a Sentence

Miuccia Prada, a connoisseur of vintage jewelry, has a collection of tiaras and subverts their formal connotations by wearing them for the day. —Hamish Bowles, Vogue, March 1997
Suddenly, Hsun-ching brightened. "So this is propaganda?" Alison did not know that, in Chinese, the word for propaganda literally means to spread information, and does not carry any negative connotations. —Mark Salzman, The Laughing Sutra, 1991
The word "evolution," with its connotation of unrolling, of progressive development, was not favored by Darwin; he preferred the bleak phrase "descent with modification" for his theory. —John Updike, New Yorker, 30 Dec. 1985
a word with negative connotations
For many people, the word “fat” has negative connotations.
The word “childlike” has connotations of innocence.

Recent Examples of connotation from the Web

Much like Shula did last year, Turner wants Newton to get the ball out of his hands more quickly (paging Christian McCaffrey) and understand that check-downs don’t need to have a negative connotation.

— joseph person, charlotteobserver, "Has Cam Newton changed? Panthers QBs coach returns to Charlotte to find he has," 26 June 2018
In the realm of astrology, retrograde motion has negative connotations.

— wilder davies, Time, "Mercury Is Entering Retrograde Again. This Is Why So Many People Care," 22 Mar. 2018
But one way to keep that support low until then is to continue to allow people to represent Trump who are so disconnected from the concerns of black Americans that make comments with racist connotations when trying to minimize them.

— eugene scott, Washington Post, "Trump ally David Bossie’s dismissive ‘cotton picking’ comment to a black pundit," 25 June 2018
There never was a negative connotation with those answers.

— mike finger, San Antonio Express-News, "Gay, Spurs were a perfect fit — with lousy timing," 19 June 2018
Though history has been unkind to Uncle Tom, there’s hope that his reputation as a martyr can be resuscitated as readers extricate him from the more negative connotations.

— jared brock, Smithsonian, "The Story of Josiah Henson, the Real Inspiration for ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’," 16 May 2018
Take RompHim, a Kickstarter that promises to bring the all-in-one ease and comfort of the romper to men, but like, without the girly connotations of an actual romper.

— Seventeen, "The Internet is Roasting This Kickstarter for Men's Rompers," 16 May 2017
That perception is vaguely foreboding; whether the context is the KKK, Trayvon Martin or slang, the word carries a negative connotation.

— emiene wright, charlotteobserver, "‘BLACK BLOODED’: An exhibition that’s ‘undeniably, unapologetically black’," 14 June 2018
The animal is distressed, possibly domesticated as indicated by the presence of a leather collar, with the cape being a force that is magical yet dangerous, evoking connotations of Little Red Riding Hood or Dracula.

— james charisma, latimes.com, "The hyper-real world of sculptor Erick Swenson comes to life at Honolulu museum," 4 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'connotation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

What’s the difference between connotation and denotation ?

Connotation and denotation are easily confused, and the fact that neither word is particularly common in everyday use makes it difficult for many people to get a firm grip on the difference between them. While each of these two words has several possible meanings, they are notably distinct from each other in all senses. Denotation is concerned with explicit meaning, and connotation tends to be concerned with implicit meaning. The word home, for instance, has a denotation of “the place (such as a house or apartment) where a person lives,” but it may additionally have many connotations (such as “warmth,” “security,” or “childhood”) for some people.